Do you have a "go to" dinner recipe when you have company?

[J-rap]

I'm not a great cook.  I don't necessarily cook to impress, and our day-to-day eating is more like beans and rice and veggies.  I'm looking for more "company meals" that are a little nicer than that, and that will always turn out well and taste delicious as long as I follow the recipe.  🙂

I have one:  Chicken Marbella

YIELD

10-12 servings (***I've never made a full recipe -- generally just half.  But, the leftovers are great too, even cold.  Also, I usually don't remember to marinade it the night before, but put it together in the morning to bake that evening.  Another also:  I don't use whole chickens, but use a mix of breasts and drumsticks or thighs.)

INGREDIENTS

1. • 4 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each, quartered
   • 1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
   • 1/4 cup dried oregano
   • coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
   • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
   • 1/2 cup olive oil
   • 1 cup pitted prunes
   • 1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
   • 1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
   • 6 bay leaves
   • 1 cup brown sugar
   • 1 cup white wine
   • 1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

 

PREPARATION

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juices over chicken.

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Homesick Texan Carnitas - with all the fixings.  For a dinner party, I'd serve my slow cooked black beans and some kind of cole slaw in addition to roast peppers/onions, tortillas, guacamole, salsa.  

Slow and Low temp roast pork tenderloin.  Lots of recipes online, I make mine with a balsamic marinade but I don't have a recipe!  There's balsamic vin, soy sauce, mustard, worstechire, brown sugar, rosemary, thyme, garlic.  

Roast Chicken- don't skip the tarragon-lemon pan sauce, it's what separates this from any other roast chicken recipe.  The only modification I do is that I butterfly the chicken before roasting rather than leaving it whole.  

Salmon Cakes - these are a hassle, but so good.  I make them easier by using canned salmon and store-bought breadcrumbs or panko.  You can make them most of the way earlier int he day, just don't add the breadcrumbs until you are ready to start cooking them.  Also, I use an ice cream scoop and portion them out onto parchment lined pans and oven cook them at 400 for 10 minutes per side.  WAY easier than pan frying, and they don't come out greasy.  

Beef Stew, from the Cook's Illustrated family cookbook.  The thing that makes this great is the red wine in the broth, so don't skip that!!!  In fact, double it.  🤔

 

 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Monica_in_Switzerland

[moonflower]

We don't really have company very often at all, but I used to make dinner weekly (long ago) for our family and DH's grandmother and often the grandmother's aide at her assisted living place (and for a very few months, also his grandfather).  They had a tiny kitchen and not a lot in the way of cookware, and you had to be very careful not to make excess smoke in fear of evacuating all the old people in the place!  I almost always did this combo:

roasted salmon (ingredients: a side of sockeye salmon, olive oil, salt, roast on cookie sheet at 400)

green salad (ingredients: green leaf or romaine lettuce or maybe spinach, feta, kalamata olives, tomatoes, dressing [olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tiny bit of dijon, garlic])

steamed broccoli or other green veg (ingredients: broccoli, salt, olive oil)

noodles with olive oil and garlic (ingredients: noodles, ideally those very thin angel hair ones that come in nests, olive oil, garlic, salt)

It's very easy as a combo, takes about half an hour, and I think the salmon, esp if you get a good sockeye, makes it seem fancyish.  You could do any simple grain in place of the noodles - brown rice, etc.  I started making it because the salad was DH's grandmother's standard salad in her homemaker days and she liked simple steamed veg, simple grains, and often served a large filet of salmon for a "fancy" or "company" meal.

and now I'm hungry

[moonflower]

2 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

Homesick Texan Carnitas 

Slow and Low temp roast pork tenderloin.  Lots of recipes online, I make mine with a balsamic marinade but I don't have a recipe!  There's balsamic vin, soy sauce, mustard, worstechire, brown sugar, rosemary, thyme, garlic.  

Roast Chicken- don't skip the tarragon-lemon pan sauce, it's what separates this from any other roast chicken recipe.  The only modification I do is that I butterfly the chicken before roasting rather than leaving it whole.  

Salmon Cakes - these are a hassle, but so good.  I make them easier by using canned salmon and store-bought breadcrumbs or panko.  You can make them most of the way earlier int he day, just don't add the breadcrumbs until you are ready to start cooking them.  Also, I use an ice cream scoop and portion them out onto parchment lined pans and oven cook them at 400 for 10 minutes per side.  WAY easier than pan frying, and they don't come out greasy.  

Beef Stew, from the Cook's Illustrated family cookbook.  The thing that makes this great is the red wine in the broth, so don't skip that!!!  In fact, double it.  🤔

 

 

 

The bolded, omg!  Why did I never think of this?!  My dad was big on fishcakes and my kids and husband love them, but they make me nauseous and they make everything smell fishy and the frying is both temperamental and I always end up getting splattered and just ugh.  But baking them, I can do that!

[J-rap]

3 minutes ago, moonflower said:

We don't really have company very often at all, but I used to make dinner weekly (long ago) for our family and DH's grandmother and often the grandmother's aide at her assisted living place (and for a very few months, also his grandfather).  They had a tiny kitchen and not a lot in the way of cookware, and you had to be very careful not to make excess smoke in fear of evacuating all the old people in the place!  I almost always did this combo:

roasted salmon (ingredients: a side of sockeye salmon, olive oil, salt, roast on cookie sheet at 400)

green salad (ingredients: green leaf or romaine lettuce or maybe spinach, feta, kalamata olives, tomatoes, dressing [olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tiny bit of dijon, garlic])

steamed broccoli or other green veg (ingredients: broccoli, salt, olive oil)

noodles with olive oil and garlic (ingredients: noodles, ideally those very thin angel hair ones that come in nests, olive oil, garlic, salt)

It's very easy as a combo, takes about half an hour, and I think the salmon, esp if you get a good sockeye, makes it seem fancyish.  You could do any simple grain in place of the noodles - brown rice, etc.  I started making it because the salad was DH's grandmother's standard salad in her homemaker days and she liked simple steamed veg, simple grains, and often served a large filet of salmon for a "fancy" or "company" meal.

and now I'm hungry

I'm hungry too!  🙂 

[mom31257]

If you don't like to cook, this product turns out very well. It is amazingly moist and tender. I would never be ashamed to serve this as a main dish to company. 

http://hormel.com/AlwaysTender/LemonGarlicPorkLoinFilet

[Serenade]

When we have company which is not for a holiday dinner, I prefer to keep things really simple -- a roast or steaks, depending on the season, baked potatoes, and a tossed salad.   There is very little prep work, and the salad can be made in advance except for the dressing.   I'll usually have some appetizers -- if I really want to keep it simple, some brie, maybe another cheese, some crackers and grapes.  

[MaBelle]

Sphagetti casserole.   Very simple.  Make your pasta and sauce like you normally do then make a cheese sauce.  Layer pasta, cheese sauce then meat sauce and top with shredded cheese.

[J-rap]

3 hours ago, mom31257 said:

If you don't like to cook, this product turns out very well. It is amazingly moist and tender. I would never be ashamed to serve this as a main dish to company. 

http://hormel.com/AlwaysTender/LemonGarlicPorkLoinFilet

That does look really good!  And it would be easy to throw together sides to go with it.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Oh, another thing that was a HUGE hit was a cold meal I made so that we could go home and feed people after a funeral without people standing around hungry.  I did:

chicken salad, with diced grilled chicken, green onion, granny smith apple, dried cranberries, mayo/salt/pepper/parsley/lemon juice dressing

veggie sticks and dip

various breads

lentil salad

quinoa salad

chips

 

[Storygirl]

You guys are making me hungry.

Usually when we host a meal, it's in the summer, and we grill burgers or chicken or have a crock pot of pulled pork. Or it's for a holiday, and we have the traditional holiday fare. I don't entertain for meals at my house very often otherwise. I used to do it more before we had children.

Back then, I would serve chicken enchiladas or lasagna, because I could assemble the main part ahead of time, and because everyone liked them.

I have also served beef tenderloin. My mom used to do that often for Christmas dinner, but I've only done it a couple of times over the 21 years I've been married.  It is really expensive, but easy and delicious. Recently, I bought a whole tenderloin and cut it up myself, which reduced the price. It's definitely a splurge dish.

Oh, I also like to serve chicken and beef fajitas when we are grilling.

If it's casual, I would serve mini ham and cheese sliders and a crock pot of chili. I've done the sliders (minus the soup, because they were eating in the carpeted basement) for teen guests. I've also done homemade macaroni and cheese for teen guests.

One thing I would caution about is to check with guests before serving something with olives. In my personal experience, only 50% of people like them, and the other 50% hate them. They flavor the whole dish and so can't just be picked out (I don't like them).

I'm trying to check for food preferences in general these days.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Storygirl

[rebcoola]

I also grill in summer and do roasts the rest of the year.  They really are super simple you can roast potatoes or veggies right alongside.  Very little prep very little mess.

[alisoncooks]

The only company I ever have is groups of college students, so I usually go for chili or spaghetti. Quick and easy to make in large quantities!

[May]

Lasagna or chicken tetrazzini are my go to dishes. They can be made ahead and I make a salad along with some garlic bread.

[regentrude]

I like company meals that can be cooked in the oven and are somewhat forgiving of timing, so there is no last minute fiddling at the stove.

Baked salmon (in foil, with lemon slices, garlic cloves and hers - looks fabulous), roasted veggies (root veggies in fall, asparagus when in season), roasted potatoes. 

London broil. Can marinate during the day, grill 6 minutes on each side, can be finished when the guest arrive

[PeterPan]

Roast chicken and caesar salad

chili

baked potatoes with fixins

white chicken chili

I love fish but it's $$ and some of my family guests won't eat it

[bensonduck]

I have to work on this. I usually just order some pizza and make a salad. Sigh. 

I am going to try that chicken Marbella dish though. Looks delicious!

[school17777]

I usually serve chicken/veggie fajitas because it pretty much covers all diets and serves a lot of people.

[Carol in Cal.]

Steak Au Poivre Vert from the Sunset French Cooking book.  With Rice Pilaf and a green salad.

[mom31257]

21 hours ago, J-rap said:

That does look really good!  And it would be easy to throw together sides to go with it.

I'm not a huge pork fan, but this is actually very good. I've only cooked it in the oven, and in mine it takes longer than the package says to get to the right temp throughout. 

[J-rap]

On 9/12/2019 at 11:38 AM, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

Oh, another thing that was a HUGE hit was a cold meal I made so that we could go home and feed people after a funeral without people standing around hungry.  I did:

chicken salad, with diced grilled chicken, green onion, granny smith apple, dried cranberries, mayo/salt/pepper/parsley/lemon juice dressing

veggie sticks and dip

various breads

lentil salad

quinoa salad

chips

 

I love a good chicken salad.  Do you have a specific recipe you use?  Unless it's soup or stew, I'm a recipe follower.  🙂  (I also love lentil salad.  I have a lentil, bulgur, feta cheese lentil salad that I make sometimes.)

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

8 hours ago, J-rap said:

I love a good chicken salad.  Do you have a specific recipe you use?  Unless it's soup or stew, I'm a recipe follower.  🙂  (I also love lentil salad.  I have a lentil, bulgur, feta cheese lentil salad that I make sometimes.)

 

No, I'm sorry!  To estimate, I'd do a ratio like the following:

Per chicken breast:

1 chicken breast, sprinkled with Spike seasoning or just basic poultry seasoning or marinade of your choice, grilled or pan-grilled with a bit of butter until cooked, cooled, cut into small cubes.  

1 green onion, finely sliced

1/2 granny smith, diced, dipped in lemon juice and drained to prevent browning

maybe 10 craisins or so

2Tbsp mayo, grind of salt, grind of pepper, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/4tsp finely chopped fresh parsley.  Mix separately, then add to salad and mix together.

You can add more mayo to get the consistency that you like.  My mom prefers it nearly dry, I prefer a bit more mayo.  You can substitute halved red seedless grapes for the apples or cranberries for a nice change.  You can add roast pecans if you like a bit more crunch.  It's important that everything in the salad be similar in size in your mouth- I'm a huge texture snob when it comes to recipes.  You need to dice the chicken pretty small, so that each bite of salad will hopefully contain most of the ingredients of the salad.  There is nothing sadder than a chicken salad with enormous chunks of chicken in it, so that you get a bite of chicken, lonely in its solitude, then a bite of the other ingredients, then a bite of chicken again...  LOL.  

Serve on sourdough bread, croissants, baguette, or on a salad leaf with a fork.  

 

 

 

[ScoutTN]

Summer - ribs, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, salad. 

Winter - chicken pot pie or beef enchilada casserole. Snd green salad.

I used to akwYs make pork chops with red wine cream sauce, but it doesn't work to be made ahead. I prefer to have attention for my guests, if possible, and all the food close to ready.